Some might remember a time when YouTube was an built-in app on iOS devices – you could play YouTube videos in the background, thereby allowing you to use other apps (or turn the screen off) while still being able to listen to the audio of the YouTube clips.

Then iOS 6 came along and YouTube was removed and became an app in the iTunes App Store – as a result, the background playback feature was also removed. On iOS 7, however, there is actually a simple workaround, and that’s exactly what we’ll be showing you in this quick tutorial today.

Play YouTube In The Background On iOS 7

Instead of using the YouTube app, use Safari and navigate to any YouTube clip and hit the Play button.

Now, if you want to use other apps while having the YouTube video play in the background, just tap on the Home button to go to your homescreen.
When you’re on your homescreen, swipe up to launch the Control Center and tap on the Play/Pause button. You’ll now be able to listen to the audio of that YouTube video you selected earlier and use other apps at the same time.

You can also tap on your device’s power button to turn off the screen and still listen to the audio of that YouTube clip.

Via hongkiat

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Unlike the Mail app for iPhone, the official Gmail app for Android phones lacks an obvious way (like, say, a pair of arrow keys on the actual message screen) for navigating from one email directly to the next.
Given that, I’m guessing plenty of Android users—hey, myself included—have been repeatedly tapping their way back to the inbox whenever they’re done with one message and want to skip to a new one.
Well, guess what: there’s a much easier way (as I belatedly discovered) to jump directly from one message thread (or “conversation,” as they’re called in Gmail) to the next.
Just swipe.
Specifically, you can swipe from left to right to skip to a more recent thread, or from right to left for an older one.
Pretty clever—so clever, in fact, that I’d completely missed it until now.

Add tip

Want to jump automatically to the next message after deleting or archiving the current one?
Tap the three-dot menu button in the bottom-right corner of the Gmail interface, tap Settings, General Settings, then “Auto-advance.”
You can then choose what happens when you delete or archive a message: you can advance to a newer message, go back to an older one, or return to the inbox.
Tips from http://heresthethingblog.com/2013/04/29/gmail-android-tip-swipe-message
How to Swipe from one message thread to the next

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Want to turn that photo you just shot on your iPhone into your Facebook profile picture? Sure thing—and yes, you can do it directly from the Facebook mobile app.
Read on for more gotta-try features in the rapidly evolving Facebook for iPhone app, from how to filter your news feed to an easy way to save snapshots posted by your friends.

Tap an option to see just the most recent news feed updates, only photo posts, stories from close friends, and more.

1. Filter your news feed

Don’t have time to scroll through dozens of random news feed updates? I know the feeling.
Instead, try this: when you first open your news feed on the Facebook for iPhone app, pull down on the first update you see.
When you do, you’ll open Facebook’s mobile news feed filter, which lets you view only the most recent updates, posts from those on your various Friend Lists (such as Family and Close Friends), photo posts, and more.

2. Save a photo to your Camera Roll

Until recently, there was no way to save a photo from your Facebook news feed to your iPhone other than taking a screenshot.

Thanks to a recent Facebook for iPhone update, you can now save photos posted by friends to your iPhone’s Camera Roll.

Thanks to a recent update, though, you can now save Facebook photos to your iPhone’s Camera Roll in just a few taps.

• Tap a photo in your news feed to open it.
• Tap the three-dot menu button at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap the “Save Photo” button.

3. Change your profile photo or your “cover” image

Want to customize the look of your Facebook timeline while you’re on the go?
No problem—and in fact, you can easily replace your Facebook profile image or the “cover” photo at the top of your timeline with a fresh snapshot from your iPhone.

• Tap the menu button in the top-left corner of the screen, then tap your name to go to your timeline.
• Tap either your profile photo or the larger “cover” photo, then tap “Choose from Library” to pick a new image from your iPhone’s photo library, or “Take Photo” to snap a new image on the fly.

Tap the little arrow (see it?) to hide an unwanted post from your news feed.

4. Hide a post

Want to zap an annoying update or advertisement from your news feed? Easy.

• Look closely at the top-right corner of a news feed post, and you’ll see a faint downward arrow. Tap it, and a trio of buttons will slide into view.
• Tap the “Hide” button to hide an unwanted update from your news feed, or tap “Report/Mark as Spam” if you think a post is “spammy” or particularly offensive.

5. Generate a security code

Ever heard of Facebook’s “login approvals” feature? If not, you should, because it’s one of the best way to keep hackers from hijacking your account.
Once login approvals are turned on (here’s how to do it), Facebook will demand a six-digit code whenever anyone tries to log into your account from an unrecognized browser or mobile device.

Once activated, the mobile Code Generator will spit out a new six-digit security code every 30 seconds, no data connection required.

Normally, those special security codes are sent to your cell phone via SMS—but what happens if you’re trying to log into your account and there’s no cellular connection?
Luckily, the Facebook for iPhone app has its own “Code Generator” that spits out fresh six-digit codes every 30 seconds—and yes, the Code Generator works even without a data signal.
Just tap the menu button in the top-left corner of the Facebook mobile interface, scroll down, then tap Code Generator.
Once you tap the “Activate” button, a six-digit code will appear on the screen, and it’ll be refreshed every 30 seconds.
Source: http://heresthethingblog.com
Facebook for iPhone: 5 handy features you need to try

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